DEPARTMENTAL SYLLABUS
English 1200 Composition: Fall 2001
3:30-4:45 T&Th, Bate 1013, Section 018

Professor: Luke Whisnant
Office: 2134 Bate; phone: 328-6516
Hours: 1-3:30 T&Th and by appointment
E-mail: WhisnantL@mail.ecu.edu

This course promotes skill in research writing. It will build on the critical thinking and awareness
of academic, public, and workplace literacies practiced in English 1100. In this course, the focus
is on the use of writing to discover, organize, and convey information.

We will use a process approach, identifying specific audiences and purposes, to produce research writing in a variety of genres, with a range of techniques, and across disciplines of scholarship.
Attendance is required, as is promptness with all assignments.

Missed classes and late assignments will be penalized.

All drafts submitted to the instructor must be printed out (i.e., not handwritten).
Missing scheduled conferences with the instructor will be penalized.

Students will be rewarded for professional conduct, including active participation in class and support for the work of others.

Project One: Music and the genres of research. Students will choose a song or piece of music
which they will interpret from a choice of research perspectives: biographical analysis, historical-
contextual analysis, textual analysis, and so on. A short paper will reflect a carefully reasoned
choice of research genre, careful critical analysis, and awareness of audience and purpose. (10%)

Project Two: Career planning portfolio. Class members will ask themselves in what profession
they would like to be engaged ten years from now. They will conduct research, using a variety of
techniques and approaches, to discover what will be involved in preparing for that career, gaining
appropriate credentials, finding employment, and so forth. Strategies employed should include
internet research, traditional library research, interviews, and other nontraditional approaches.
The project should include a description of the research process and discoveries made in the
process, a summary of conclusions from the research, and an annotated bibliography. (20%)

Project Three: WAC Portfolio. Exercises and short pieces representing your study of writing in
the humanities, writing in the social sciences, and writing in the natural sciences. (25%)

Project Four: Multigenre Research Project (MGRP). The multigenre research project
includes the following elements: 1) 1 Reflection Piece (1000+ Word) to audit the writer's
learning. 2) 1 Research Paper on your topic (5-7 Pages) relying on information outside of the
writer's own knowledge base. 3) 2-3 other short pieces representing different genres, exploring
different facets of your subject. 4) Letter to the instructor, evaluating the writer's own research
process and performance on the MGRP (25%)

Final Exam: An exam covering material in the textbooks and from class discussion that
demonstrates the student's ability to write in-class essays (10%)

Studentship: Professional conduct in class participation, promptness with assignments, and
cooperative engagement with the writing community (10%).

Texts:

Calendar (T/Th)

Aug 16 Introductions, expectations Purchase course materials

Aug 21 Rethinking the research paper Ballenger, 1-20
Aug 23 Writing in the Disciplines Bizzaro, 1-38

Aug 28 An introduction to library research Ballenger, 21-59
Aug 30 Music and the genres of research Bizzaro, 39-80

Sep 04 An introduction to internet research Ballenger, 59-76; Quick Guide
Sep 06 Perform, discuss Project One (Project One Due)

Sep 11 Research strategies: career planning Ballenger, 77-118
Sep 13 Library Tour (Date TBA) Meet in Joyner

Sep 18 Notetaking; Introduce WAC Portfolio Ballenger, 119-146
Sep 20 Subject Development; Narrowing topics Draft of plan, Project 2; Ballenger, 147-165

Sep 25 Research and Writing in Humanities Bizzaro, 94-100, 149-179
Sep 27 Perform, discuss Project Two Project Two Due

Oct 02 Interpretive essays Humanities Exercise
Oct 04 Humanities and Archival Research Visit Manuscripts Collection

Oct 09 Explication Humanities Exercise
Oct 11 Research and Writing in Social Sciences Bizzaro, 101-109, 182-190, 190-212

Oct 16 FALL BREAK
Oct 18 Personal observation reports Social Science Exercise

Oct 23 Application of theory reports Social Science Exercise
Oct 25 An introduction to the MGRP

Oct 30 Research and Writing in Natural Sciences Bizzaro, 109-116
Nov 01 Research and Writing in Natural Sciences Bizzaro, 109-116, 235-255

Nov 06 Divisions between Humanities and Science Bizzaro, 214-235
Nov 08 Review WAC Portfolios Project Three: WAC Portfolios Due

Nov 13 Citing Sources; Practice in documentation Ballenger, 225-274; Source exercises
Nov 15 Compiling an annotated bibliography Bring sources for MGRP Pck

Nov 20 Organizing research notes; research exercises
Nov 22 THANKSGIVING Holiday

Nov 27 Getting to the Draft Ballenger, 167-203
Nov 29 Style and Citation Style exercises

Dec 04 Last day of class Project Four Due

Dec 06 READING DAY (no class)

FINAL EXAM: 2:00 - 4:00 Tuesday, December 11